Partners Retreat
by thunderful
Summary: Fluffy story of Booth and Brennan together in an established, but secret relationship, and away on an FBI partners' retreat. Fluffy, no angst.
1. Chapter 1

Set: Mid season 3 and is sort of AU

They have met Sweets and Zach is not Gormagon's apprentice. They have been together since early in season 2 (so Booth did not get back together with Rebecca or Cam, and Brennan was never with Sully).

This is meant to be a fluffy multi-chap with Booth and Brennan relaxing away from murders, and enjoying some time together. No angst.

The prequel to this story is my one-shot: Thief

**Chapter 1**

* * *

Booth sighed in frustration as he opened the unlocked front door of his relatively new home. "Bones! You left the front door unlocked again. How many times do I have to remind you to keep it locked?" She looked up from her comfortable position on the couch and muted the program she was watching about ancient civilisations on their new 72 inch 3D Plasma TV, which Booth had insisted on when they moved in. Much to his annoyance, however, Brennan had found many interesting documentaries to watch, and had started hogging the TV. She had made it up to him though, by purchasing a slightly smaller TV for their bedroom.

She turned to see his aggravated form striding towards her, and she rolled her eyes at his over protectiveness. "Please Booth, we live in the suburbs - nobody is going to just walk in, besides, if any thieves did try their luck I would be easily able to apprehend them," she protested, half in earnest, and half just to bait him.

Booth sighed, "I know baby, but what if they had a gun, or they surprised you or something?" She opened her mouth to retort but he stopped her by sitting down beside her on the couch and kissing her softly. "Please baby, let me win this one so that I don't worry as much."

She huffed, but relented when she looked into his warm chocolate eyes and saw the love and concern in them. "Fine, I'll keep the door locked," she sighed.

He smiled softly at his small victory and changed the subject before she could change her mind. "I bought Thai." She grinned at him and they moved from the couch to the kitchen, where he had left the bags. They fell into their routine as Brennan served out the food onto plates and Booth got their drinks and cutlery.

They were used to each other now. They had been together now for just over a year and had bought and moved into their house in the suburbs together around six months ago. They couldn't be happier with their life together. It was still a secret from everyone except Parker and Rebecca though, as when they first got together, they had made a bet on which of their team would figure it out first. So far, nobody had guessed. They were still professionals at work - a stipulation both of them wanted to keep, since they felt that there was a line that shouldn't be crossed during working hours- after working hours was a different story altogether.

Initially, Brennan had bet on Angela discovering it first, since she was her best friend, and always seemed to instinctively know when something changed in Brennan's life. Meanwhile, Booth had bet on Hodgins finding out first and then telling Angela, as he felt that the conspiracy theorist had better observation skills. Both had expected the squint squad to have figured it out within the first two weeks.

It seemed that, while it felt like they treated each other slightly differently at work, to others they seemed to act as they always had - as close friends and partners. Both had initially been confident that they would win, and had been eagerly anticipating their prizes. The winner was to get driving privileges for a month- Brennan's idea, and a full body massage every night for the same month- Booth's idea.

They were now incredibly disappointed in their team's deductive skills- they were sure at least one person in the team would notice that Booth had dropped Brennan off at work every day for the last year, and that he picked her up for lunch almost every day as well- whether they had a case or not. He also picked her up at a reasonable time every afternoon- refusing to let her get so distracted in her work that she would continue until early hours of the evening. For her part, Brennan no longer argued about going home earlier since she found that having company at home made life so much better. She realised that her previous reason for spending so much time at the lab, was because she didn't like going home to an empty apartment and feeling lonely. Now that she had Booth, she never felt that way.

They had now changed the bet, so that if someone else figured it out first, then they would both win and split the winnings equally between them. As time went on they had also increased the wager. Now whoever won would not only get driving privileges and massages, but would also get to pay for all meals out for six months, choose their next two holiday destinations and activities, and more things were added every now and then. They were both still hoping to win.

As they started dinner, Booth remembered a phone call he had gotten earlier, while at the gym, from Cullen. He sighed, realising that Bones was not going to be pleased with his news. She immediately picked up on the change in his mood and her forehead creased as she studied his face for clues to his sudden discomfort. "What's wrong?" she asked.

He sighed again. "It's our turn to go on the FBI partnership development retreat next month."

She frowned, "I thought you said it was fun?" she asked, confused.

"It is Bones. From what I've been told there are heaps of activities to do with your partner, and it's a competition between other partnerships to see which set of partners is the best, as well as lectures on how to work well with your partners and guest speakers speaking about teams working together in dangerous situations. There are seven sets of partners and they are all from different FBI headquarters in USA. We would have had a great time Bones- in fact we would have probably won tons of activities together, but I received a call from Cullen today to tell me that because you aren't FBI, you can't come."

"WHAT!" Brennan was fuming.

"I know Bones, and that means that I have to spend ten days without you, and I have to sit out and watch all the fun activities, since I won't have a partner to do them with- they're basically sending me just for the lectures."

Though Brennan was still fuming she suppressed the urge to lash out at something in frustration and instead grasped Booth's hand across the table. "It'll be alright," she reassured him, rubbing soothing circles on his palm. Then she distracted him by changing the subject. "So what do you think of Hodgins' new toy?"

Booth snorted, "It suits him- a car with missile proof glass is perfect for a paranoid conspiracy theorist."

"I don't think he's planning on driving it a lot," she observed, "I'm fairly certain that he brought it so that he could shoot it and throw grenades at it to test it out. He seems too attached to his Mini to drive a full size Mercedes Guardian around." Booth chuckled and they continued discussing lighter subjects as they finished off their dinner.

Later, after their nightly chat to Parker, they slid happily into bed- Parker's carefree description of his day having relaxed them. Booth still couldn't believe his luck- his son adored Bones, and she loved him as if her were her own. He could still remember when he found out, that his son and partner were far better acquainted than he had thought, from the few interactions he had observed them to have, on the odd occasion that he and Parker would run into Bones at the Diner, and invite her to get ice-cream with them or go to the park.

_FLASHBACK- AROUND 12 MONTHS PREVIOUS_

_They were lying in bed, temporarily sated after their last bout of lovemaking. They had confessed their mutual love for each other a few days ago, and since then, they found it hard to keep their hands off each other. Cam had forced Brennan to take the weekend off, since she had been logging in far too many hours. Booth had arrived early that Saturday morning, intent on taking her somewhere and keeping her distracted from her banishment from the lab. When she opened the door, delighted to see him that morning, Booth could do nothing but tell her he loved her. He had been euphoric when she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, before reminding him that she fully reciprocated his feelings. That had immediately prompted Booth to drag her inside her apartment and show her just how much he loved her, and they had proceeded to break the laws of physics repeatedly throughout the day._

_Now it was early evening, and they were contemplating getting out of bed to eat the pizza leftover from the night before, when Booth had come over to finish up some paperwork. Before they could move, Booth's phone started ringing, and he rolled out of bed to fish in the pocket of his jeans, pulling out his phone. "Hi Bub," he answered, sliding back into bed and wrapping an arm around Brennan again. She snuggled into his side as he talked to Parker, listening to him describe the friend's birthday party he had gone to that day. Eventually, he said goodnight to Parker and hung up. _

_He turned to talk to his Bones but before he could say anything her phone rang. She rolled away from him and picked it up from the bedside table. "How's my favourite guy," she asked, speaking into the phone with one of the friendliest, happiest, tones he had ever heard her use. Booth felt his anger rising, especially when she made plans with this guy for Thursday evening. When she finally finished her call with a soft, but meaningful, "I love you too," he was fuming. How dare she tell come other guy that she loved him when she was in bed with Booth? _

_"What was that Bones?" he demanded when she placed the plane back down and turned to him. _

_She looked at him with a confused expression. "What do you mean Booth?"_

_"You just told another guy that you loved him Bones! Who is he? Dammit Bones, I love you, but if you want to be in a relationship with me it had to be monogamous- I don't share. Now tell me who that guy was." He still wasn't yelling, but his voice was loud and firm. _

_He was shocked when realisation dawned in her eyes and she started laughing hysterically. He cocked an eyebrow at her and waited silently, inwardly fuming that she was laughing at him. When she finally calmed down she handed him her phone. "Check that last call Booth and tell me who it's from." He scrolled through her phone and found the call log. He looked in disbelief at the name displayed there. **PARKER BOOTH.** "I was talking to Parker, Booth. He was telling me about his friend Matt's birthday party and how he wants an ice-cream cake for his birthday," she explained, her eyes still sparkling with mirth. She had then told him that she picked Parker up from school every Tuesday and Thursday and usually brought him home, where they spent time together until Rebecca came to collect him. _

_Booth listened quietly as she explained that it had all started about six months ago, when she had run into an energetic four year old Parker dragging Rebecca through the Jeffersonian, towards the Egyptian Mummy exhibit. She had offered to give the small child- who had affectionately referred to her as "Dr. Bones" a personal tour of the Egyptian exhibit and had proceeded to tell Parker a little about the mummification process. While they were there Rebecca had gotten a call from Parker's after kindergarten sitter who was no longer able to take care of him on Tuesdays and Thursdays because of changes in her college classes. Brennan had then offered to do it, and she and Parker had bonded since. Parker loved hearing about science- especially Egyptian mummies, dinosaurs, and pirates. She had also started teaching him to read, and Parker was advancing quickly as they bonded. _

_It wasn't all learning though. Sometimes Parker would take his Dr Bones to the park and teach her how to play catch and kick a soccer ball. Other times, they would go to the beach or pool, where Brennan taught Parker how to swim. Brennan and Rebecca got along quite well, to the extent where when Booth had had to go to a conference over the weekend he would normally have Parker for, a few months back, Brennan had gotten to have Parker for the whole weekend instead. _

_Now Parker had his own room at Brennan's- filled with children's books, a pirate ship bed and plenty of toys. Brennan dragged Booth out of bed and showed him what used to be her guest room- now completely renovated into a small boy's dream room. Booth hugged her to him and kissed her lovingly. No words could suffice to describe the happiness he felt and knowing that the two people in the world he loved with all his heart loved each other as well. _

_BACK TO PRESENT _

Booth smiled at the memories. When they had moved into the house Rebecca had decided to become more lenient with the time Booth was allowed Parker. Parker now lived with them for every second week, unless Booth and Brennan had a hard case and were working late nights to catch a killer. Everyone was happy with the arrangement and they were completely content with their lives now that they were together. Booth was sure that the only thing that would be icing on the cake of his perfect life would be if Bones would marry him and become his wife. However, he knew her views on marriage weren't exactly favourable, and he didn't plan to push her. Despite this, he still lived in hope, and had designed an engagement ring which he planned to propose with once it was finished. He knew the chances of her saying yes were slim, but he was willing to take the chance anyway.

Brennan's thought ran down a surprisingly similar line to Booth's. She was perfectly happy with her life- even if it was a far cry from everything she used to think she wanted. She had found that she needed Booth in her life- the perfect companion to balance out her rational mind and lack of social skills. Nevertheless, there were two things that she now found she wanted thanks to Booth. The first was for Booth to be her husband. While she still believed that she didn't need a piece of paper to prove her commitment. She wanted to make a formal commitment to Booth and be able to call him her husband. She felt a certain primal thrill at the thought of being able to announce to all the flirting females that normally crowded Booth that he was hers- in the eyes of the law, Booth's god and most importantly- in Booth's and her eyes. The second thing that she had thought long and hard about since moving in with Booth was a child- and she was now beginning to long for something that was part Booth and part her, and would no doubt be as wonderful as Parker. She was certain that together they could have a wonderful child. Unfortunately, Booth had informed her when that moved in together that he was perfectly content to just have Parker, and her, in his life and didn't need anything else. She hoped that he was just trying to accommodate her previous views on not wanting children and that he'd secretly be happy to have more, but she wasn't sure. She had decided that she would have to take things into her own hands, and was planning on proposing to Booth soon- figuring that after they got engaged would be a good time to bring up children. She was now looking for the perfect time to propose.

In the meantime, she was definitely going to have a word with Cullen. There was no way her partner was going on a partner's training retreat without her.

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I will hopefully post every three weeks, sooner if i have the time.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews guys! I'm so glad you like it!

I think i mentioned this before, but this story is pretty much all sweet and fluffy ( no angst) So if you're an angst-weenie, this is good, and if your're looking for angst, don't expect any here ;)

**Chapter 2**

It was Monday morning, and Deputy Director Cullen had had a surprisingly relaxing weekend. When he spotted the imposing figure of Dr Brennan standing outside his office though, his good mood swiftly evaporated. Obviously Booth had broken the bad news to her about the FBI partners retreat and, as expected, she had not taken it well. Inwardly, he sighed, pasting a neutral expression on his face as he welcomed her into his office. "What can I do for you Dr Brennan?"

"You can allow me to accompany Booth on the partner's retreat next month," she informed him bluntly.

"I'm sorry Dr Brennan," he sighed, "But you are not an FBI agent. You are only a consultant, so you are not allowed to go," he explained, not believing for one second that she would let this go.

"But I am Booth's partner, so I should be allowed to go with him on a _partners'_ retreat," She said, stressing the word 'partners'.

"Look, Dr Brennan, personally, I would not have had a problem sending you with Booth," _Especially if it would get you out of my office,_ he thought. "But the rules state that only FBI personnel can go."

"Surely they can make an exception for FBI agents that are partnered with consultants," she was frustrated but determined. "What is the main reason for not allowing consultants to go?"

"Well, to be quite honest, we don't normally partner our agents with consultants, so this has never happened before. Booth and you are very different. I suppose the main reason behind not allowing you to go, would be that some of the guest speakers may speak about classified information, and you do not have a high enough security clearance to hear it," he hoped this would put her off. He felt a sinking feeling when she smiled.

"It seems that you are unaware of my security clearance level," she calmly stated, feeling a victorious thrill now that she had the upper hand. She placed down the official papers that showed her clearance level. She had thought that might be the case, and she had come prepared.

Cullen picked up the papers and skimmed over them his eyes shot up to her face in surprise as he realised that her security clearance was higher than his and Booth's put together. He sighed; there was no getting out of this now. "Okay Dr Brennan, I'll see about getting you registered to go with Booth - Booth has all the details about when and where, and I'll let Dr Saroyan know where you'll be that week," he relented.

She smiled brightly at him and he was suddenly struck by how beautiful she was. "Thank you, I'm sure Booth and I will make an exceptionally competitive team against the other partners." He had no doubt they would. Heaven help the teams that tried to stand in her way at the retreat.

Feeling elated, Brennan strode happily out of the office and down the corridor to Booth's office. She knocked light on the door and entered, smiling as he looked up and gave her his charm smile. "Hey, what are you doing here Bones?" They didn't have a case at the moment and it wasn't lunch time, so Booth was a little surprised to see her.

Her smile grew wider until she resembled a Cheshire cat. His expression immediately turned wary. "I just had a little discussion with Cullen," she confessed. He waited suspiciously to find out what had made her so pleased. "It seems that there is no reason why I cannot go with you to the partner's retreat after all."

His grin grew wider. "Really?" She nodded. He jumped out of his chair and hugged her. "That's wonderful baby- we're gonna have so much fun."

She laughed as he released her. "I know. It is my intention for us to win all of the partner challenges," she informed him seriously.

He chuckled; it wasn't often that he got to see her competitive streak, since she was generally the best. "Okay Bones, we'll do our best." She nodded, satisfied.

The weeks leading up to the retreat passed in a blur, and since the week if the retreat was a week where they were supposed to have Parker, they got him for two weeks beforehand to make up for it. They were all delighted, especially Parker. He loved spending time with his dad and his Dr Bones, who had now earned the title Tempe, or sometimes even, Mum – Rebecca didn't mind that Parker had two mothers – Parker called Rebecca Mummy. They spend every day after school working on Parker's swimming in their pool, and splashing around. The five-year-old loved the water.

Brennan also spent time playing video games with Parker, while Booth watched in with a doting smile. She had gotten good at it over the past year, although Parker still beat her often, much to her frustration. The thing Parker liked about it best though, was that Brennan would never simply allow him to win. She would always try her best to beat him, so when he won, he felt that he had actually achieved something. Booth loved to see her playing with Parker, and he couldn't help envisioning what a wonderful mother she would make to more children. He sighed, wondering if it was simply wishful thinking.

His sigh caught their attention, and they both turned to look up at him with curious gazes. He grinned, "Just wondering when you pair of lazy butts were going to get hungry- dinner is ready," they beamed as the hurried into the kitchen.

As usual, over dinner Parker told them about his day, his friends and his favourite subjects at school. He was in the first year now, and loved it. "And I told my friends about the Egyptian mummy's and dinosaurs where you work Mum, and now they all wanna go. Mummy said that we might be able to take them next weekend, but I wanted to wait until you got home so you could tell them all the cool things," Parker explained as his father and second Mum smiled at him.

"I'd love to Bub, we'll see what we can do once we come back home," Brennan promised, delighted with the idea of taking Parker and his friends to the Jeffersonian.

All too soon they found themselves dropping Parker back at Rebecca's, giving him reluctant hugs. "We'll see you in ten days," Booth promised. He knew they would both miss Parker while they were away.

"Okay Daddy," Parker stood by Rebecca and waved as they drove away.

Once home, they finalised their packing and went out for some last minute drinks with the squint squad at the Founding Fathers. "Hey you two, Bren, you have to have a good look at all the agents while you're at the retreat. I need to live vicariously through you," Angela told Brennan as they got drinks and sat down. Both were careful not to drink too much, since they had an early start and a long drive tomorrow. Booth rolled his eyes at Angela's comments.

"Angie, Booth and I are going to learn more about being partners, and to win the competitions," Brennan informed her friend.

The whole table chuckled, well aware that their beloved Dr Brennan meant every word she said. "I know sweetie, but that doesn't mean you can't get a good look at the other agents. There's bound to be some hot guys there – just look at Booth. If they're all like that you're going to have a great time," Angela fanned herself dramatically.

Brennan smirked a little, "Angie, I will let you know if the other agents share Booth's symmetrical features, but I doubt many will be as aesthetically pleasing as Booth- he appears to be far above the average."

Booth smiled at her compliment. While complex, he now understood her squint speak, and was pleased that she had just called him hot.

"I know Sweetie, but just in case, I need you to observe closely so you can come back and give me details," Angie begged, and Brennan sighed.

Cam cut in then, tactfully changing the topic. "So do you guys know exactly what is going to happen?"

"A little," Booth answered. "The competitions are a mix between physical stuff, like combat courses, and paired games, and mental stuff that tests how well you know your partner. Then there's lectures, although we don't know who the lecturers are at the moment," he explained.

"Taking into account yours and Dr Brennan's high level of fitness, and your mutual knowledge of each other, I believe your chances of winning the challenges to be quite high," Zach piped up, "Although, I cannot calculate properly without knowing who the other contestants are."

"Thanks Zach," Brennan smiled at him.

They ended their night early, not wanting to be tired for their journey. That night, as they prepared for bed, Booth slipped the engagement ring he had picked up earlier in the week into his bag, just in case he found the right opportunity to propose during the week. Brennan, likewise, surreptitiously tucked something away in her bag.

The next morning they set off bright and early. The drive to Quantico, Virginia didn't take very long, but they wanted to get there early. They figured that while they were in the area they might as well take the time to explore the national park and spent some time together- just the two of them, away from work and everyone else. They had a hotel booked for the night, where they dropped off their bags before heading out into the Prince William Forest Park. They drove along some of the scenic routes before parking and heading out onto a trail together.

Both loved simply being together, walking hand in hand out in nature. They didn't get to do it often in DC, since they were still waiting on one of them to win the bet, but here, they had no worries about running onto anyone they knew. Instead they simply enjoyed the scenery, bird spotting as they meandered along the trail. "Look Booth, a mockingbird," Brennan pointed to a tree. Booth squinted, his face relaxing into a smile as he spotted the bird.

"Not bad Bones, you know, we're going to have to bring Parker here and camp sometime – he'd love it."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," she agreed, already her mind started making plans. Booth grinned, sometimes he couldn't believe how lucky he was to have found a woman who was happy to do things like camp with him and his son.

"Oh look, a hummingbird!" he pointed out excitedly a few moments later. Its wings were a blur, but it's dark magenta head made it stand out. Booth looked down just in time to see Brennan's face light up with delight. He squeezed her hands softly, bending down to bestow a gentle kiss on her lips. She returned the kiss, smiling as they separated.

"This was a wonderful idea Booth," she praised him. "I haven't relaxed this much in a long time."

"Me neither Bones," he threw an arm around her shoulder and they continued along the trail, eventually ending up at a creek. They sat there for a while, just taking in the relaxing ambience, before it was time to head back. Along the way they saw more wildlife, pointing them excitedly out to each other as they went.

When they eventually settled in back at the hotel that night, Brennan sighed happily as she flopped on the bed. "Today was wonderful."

"Yes it was Baby," he said softy as he joined her in bed. "Now get some rest, tomorrow we've got to be on our toes if you want to win the partner challenges," he reminded her.

She leaned over and kissed him before snuggling into his chest. "Okay, good night."

"Sweet dreams," he said softly, kissing her forehead before leaning over to turn off the bedside lamp.

The next day they ate a hearty breakfast before checking out of the hotel and heading for the Partner's Retreat. It was located in a secure wooded area next to the main FBI training academy. Booth showed their papers at the gate and they were allowed inside, where they parked in a lot that already held a couple of other government issued vehicles. "Looks like some of the others might already be here Bones," Booth observed as they got out and got their bags. They walked into a little building that said "Registration" on the front. Inside was a receptionist that welcomed them with a warm smile. "Hello. Welcome to the partner's retreat. Here are some forms you need to fill out, and then you can head inside." They filled out some forms, mainly to do with any recent injuries etc that might affect their ability to participate in any of the planned activities, and some privacy statements. The lady told them where everything was in the camp and then they were allowed through, into a second office. There was a large man waiting next to a sign that clearly read, **'ALL FBI PERSONNEL MUST RELINQUISH THEIR WEAPONS BEFORE PROCEEDING**.' Booth immediately looked downcast. "Really?" he asked the man waiting there.

"Really." The man confirmed. "You won't need your weapon for this course Agent Booth, so I'll be taking it now, and any other guns you might be carrying." The man seemed to know who they were. "Dr Brennan, welcome to the camp, you're the first civilian we've ever had here, so I hope you can keep up." He smiled at her, but didn't ask her to give up any weapons, seeming to think that as a civilian she wouldn't have one. It didn't occur to Booth to ask whether Brenna had brought any weapons, he was too woeful about having to give up the three he was carrying himself, reluctantly un-holstering them and handing them over. "I'm Agent Chase, one of the instructors here."

Brennan bristled at Agent Chase's comments. "I assure you that I am more than capable of holding my own." Her voice and eyes told the man not to cross her.

He looked questioningly over at Booth. 'It's true," he confirmed. "She wouldn't be my partner if she couldn't do it." The agent shrugged, taking Booth's weapons and putting them into a safe.

"Remember to pick them up before you leave," he said, and directed them outside and over to the cabins. All in all, it wasn't the best start to their partner's retreat.

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So what do you think?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Booth and Brennan found Cabin 3 with ease, opening it to find a room with bunk beds against the wall, and a small separate bathroom. "Well Bones, looks like this is home sweet home for the next week," Booth commented as they entered.

"I call top," Brennan said instantly.

Booth looked at her and then grumbled in a half-hearted protest. "What? You always want to be on top."

"You've never complained before," she reminded him with a sultry grin and he groaned.

"Fine," he huffed, spreading out his sleeping bag and pillow on the bottom bunk, while she climbed victoriously onto the top one.

Once that was done, they both took the opportunity to use the bathroom before heading over to the large hall they had been told about. Inside, a few other pairs of agents were sitting around a table with a lady at its head. The lady stood up as the y entered. "You must be Agent Booth and Dr Brennan," she smiled at them welcomingly. "I'm Shelby, one of your instructors." She shook their hands and pointed them over to the coffee. They helped themselves and then settled at the table with everyone else. Booth smothered a smile when he noticed Brennan surreptitiously sizing them all up.

Once there, Shelby introduced them to the others. There was Charlene and Trevor from New York, and older pair that were both very nice and welcoming, making Booth and Brennan relax a little. They had been partnered for nearly a decade, both happily married (to others) with families. Charlene was a small, sprightly lady with dark curly hair and vibrant green eyes, while Trevor was the opposite; tall, sandy blonde with brown eyes and a quieter, but still friendly disposition.

Another pair was Dane and Mark from Texas. They were fun-loving younger agents who had been through Quantico together and partnered for a few years. Both looked very fit, and Brennan was sure that they would be a challenging pair to beat on the physical parts of the competition. Dane was recently married, and happy to tell everyone about his wonderful wife and how awesome their honeymoon in Tahiti had been. Brennan joined in, sharing some of her own experiences of Tahiti while Booth listened on with interest. Mark had a committed girlfriend who he was planning to take to Tahiti to propose to, since his partner had such a great time there. "Oh yes, you definitely should. It is so beautiful there," Brennan urged, enthused. Booth loved how she was so much more comfortable around people than she had been three years ago, when he first started dragging her out of the lab.

The third pair that was already there was Rick and Chris. They were both eying up Brennan with hungry looks, their gazes resting just a little too long on her chest. Booth gave them both a warning glare. Even though he wasn't allowed to protect her like a boyfriend, he could still protect her like a partner. Brennan deliberately ignored the pair as much as possible. Despite being quite good looking, they were nothing compared to Booth, and she wasn't interested in the slightest by their blonde hair, blue eyes and tall, fit bodies. Rick was slightly taller and darker than Chris, but both looked quite similar. They hadn't been partnered for very long – barely a year.

As they sat and talked, the remaining agents trickled in. Mischa, a bubbly blonde, came in with her thin Italian partner Sam, a guy that was obviously gay from the bright pink shirt he was wearing and his girly tone. They were from Tennessee. Both eyed up Booth with interest while Brennan bristled, only relaxing when Booth's hand found hers under the table, gently squeezing it before he let go, conscious of the many observant agents that were seated with them. Sam then turned his attention to Rick and Matt, a gleam coming into his eyes, and Mischa looked undecided as she registered how many good looking men were sitting at the table.

The last two sets of partners arrived at the same time. Ben and Joe, from Virginia, were a pair in their mid-forties. Ben still looked fit and sprightly, but the years seemed to have taken more of a toll on Joe, who had a bit of a beer-gut. Both were married with families, and Ben doted on his little girl, bringing up her achievements as often as possible. They hadn't been paired together long though, since Joe's last partner left when she got pregnant, wanting a more stable job once she had a family on the way, and Ben's pervious partner was an older guy who retired. Having been together six months, their partnership skills were not well developed, though they at least seemed to get along well.

Penny and Matt, from North Carolina, were the last to sit down and introduce themselves. Penny was a bouncy brunette, still green, and had only been out of the training academy for nine months. Matt was Booth and Brennan's age, and didn't appear to like his partner too much. Both eyed up Booth and Brennan like a pair of delicious steaks.

All in all, there were six other pairs of agents, many of whom looked at Brennan in confusion when they found out that she was a scientist, not an agent. When they were finally all there and getting better acquainted, Agent Chase came in and settled with them at the table. "Okay everyone," he said loudly, to get everyone's attention. The room quietened and turned to him. "As you know, I'm Agent Chase, though you guys can just call me Chase while you're here. That lady over there is Shelby. We will be your instructors during this time. Now I'm sure you've heard stories about the competitions and challenges, which you and your partner can score on, and they are all true. Every day there will be challenges for you to complete with points awarded. The partners' with the most points at the end of this week will be awarded the exclusive Partner's Retreat medallion, engraved with their names and score. You will also have bragging rights." The agents chuckled at this, all eager to win.

"Now today we're just going to go over a few rules, tell you how things run here and get acquainted with each other." He elaborated on some basic rules, most of which were common sense anyway. "So for the next week, you will all wake up and be down on the exercise field by six-thirty, where you will run through a five mile course through the forest that starts and ends at the field. This does not gain you any partner points. It is to ensure that, for the older agents, you have remained fit over the years. If you cannot run the three miles in a good time after this week, then we will report you to your supervisors, since we can't have unfit agents on the job." There were a few muffled groans along the table at the prospect of a long morning run, but Booth and Brennan weren't worried. They usually jogged four or five miles every morning.

"After that, there will be time to clean up and then breakfast will be served in here. After breakfast has settled, we will have a challenge of some kind for you. It might be an obstacle course, or a trust exercise, but whatever it is, you will be awarded points depending on how well the task is completed. All of the challenges are designed so that the better your teamwork is, the better your score. The maximum amount of points you can score is eighty - ten for each of the eight exercises we have planned. We will then have lunch, after which you will head over to the lecture hall and be given a lecture designed to help you and your partner work better together." Booth refrained from rolling his eyes, he doubted he and Bones could ever work better than they already did.

"After the lecture, you and your partner will have some free time until dinner. After dinner we join back up and talk over the day's events. Shelby and I will give you our impressions, and you guys are welcome to talk about any problems you might have had, or aspects of the camp you liked or think could be improved upon. You are then sent off to your cabins. You will have noticed that you are staying with your partner. This is to allow you guys to get to know each other better, in the hopes that you will work better as a team when we let you back out of the camp and you are fighting crime again," he explained.

"Now, it's nearly lunch time, and afterwards we have our first lecture, so I'll let you guys do what you want for now, just be back here in twenty minutes." Once Chase dismissed them, Brennan and Booth headed out of the hall and took a look around the camp.

It was a large camp, the full sized exercise field just behind the cabins, with the forest trails on the other side. A little further away was what looked to be an obstacle course, which Brennan and Booth took particular note of. "I suspect that this will be part of one of our challenges," Brennan observed, and Booth nodded. There was also a small building off the main hall that appeared to be where their lectures would be held, since they could see a few long tables, a lot of chairs and a large projector screen when they peeked through the windows.

"Well Bones, I reckon this week will be pretty easy," Booth said complacently. Brennan cocked a questioning eyebrow and he elaborated. "No murderers to catch, we're both fit and healthy, so the challenges won't be too hard, and other than that, we just have to sit through lectures. There's a ton of free time to do what we like, so this should be a nice, relaxing week."

Brennan nodded, "I agree with your logic, however, do not become so relaxed that you forget to win the challenges," she warned.

"Never! I want to win just as much as you do," he assured her. She nodded, satisfied with his response. Booth always gave his best, and he had never let her down.

"Having seen out competitors, I am feeling quite optimistic about our chances of winning," she informed him with a smile.

"That's good Bones," he grinned. They continued to talk as they walked around the camp, just soaking in the relaxing atmosphere.

When Booth looked at his watch, her realised that the time had flown by. "We've got to go back to the hall now, time's up Bones." She sighed and turned with him. They ate a quick lunch with everyone before being ushered off to the lecture room. The lecture was on helping partners deal with job stress. Brennan found some of the suggested techniques interesting, but she thought stress balls were fairly useless. She and Booth tended to deal with stress by bickering – a technique that worked well for them, but she suspected would not be so popular with other partners. The guest lecturer was a psychologist that worked at the training academy, and Booth had to stop Brennan from pointing out loudly that his degree wasn't real since psychology was a soft science. Brennan glared at him when his hand covered her mouth, unhappy that he had anticipated her words and stopped her. He just shook his head and chuckled quietly; she was so predictable. The instructors took note of their non-verbal display of communication, exchanging confused glances before shrugging. Already they had picked Booth and Brennan out to be the team to watch.

There was some free time after the lecture, so the partners took care of some paperwork they'd brought with them, after which they headed over to the hall for dinner.

They entered the hall to find that they were the last to arrive. Everyone else was already lining up to get food and sit at one of the two long tables at one end of the hall.

They lined up as well, neither noticing that the instructors were already watching everyone like hawks and observing the different partnership dynamics. Booth took both trays, dishing up their dinner while Brennan fetched their cutlery and drinks. Shelby and Chase watched, impressed by the pair. The other partners had all gotten their own food and drinks. "These two obviously know each other well," Chases murmured to Shelby. "He's gotten her the vegetarian lasagne, but he's eating the beef one, and she got juice for herself, but milk for him, and neither of them seem to have noticed that the way that got dinner was anything special."

Shelby nodded. "They act like my parents, who have been married for thirty-four years." Both instructors decided to keep an eye on this special pair.

Booth and Brennan sat down with Charlene, Trevor, Dane and Mark; the ones that hadn't eyed up either of them. They all made friendly conversation. It turned out that all four of them had read Brennan's books, which made the conversation more interesting. Booth was proud of her achievements and was happy to participate in the conversation, baiting Bones yet again about using him as the basis for Andy. "Come on Bones, admit it."

"Booth, no matter how many times you ask, the answer will not change. Andy is not based on you," she rolled her eyes at him.

"Bones?" Dane asked.

"It's his childish nickname for me since I work with bones," Brennan shot Booth a mock glare and he grinned at her.

"You know you don't mind anymore – it only took you a few months to get used to it," he teased her.

"I didn't get used to it; I just got tired of asking you not to call me that when I wasn't getting a favourable result," she protested, her smile belying the annoyance in her voice. The others smiled at the pair's banter.

When Brennan used the bathroom after the meal Penny sidled up to her with a smile. "So, Dr Brennan, I just have to know, is Agent Booth single?"

Brennan refrained from growling possessively at the girl. "No. He is in a serious and monogamous relationship, and I am sure that he will not welcome any advances," she warned her.

Penny's smile dimmed for a bit before she shrugged. "Well, we'll see. He doesn't have a wedding ring, so he's not married. No marriage means he's still fair game," she said as she waltzed out of the bathroom and made a beeline for Booth. Brennan gritted her teeth as she headed back out to her partner. She was now even more determined to propose before they went back to D.C.

After dinner they gathered around Chase and Shelby, placing all the chairs in a circle. "Okay, now before I let you go tonight, I thought we'd do a bit of an icebreaker. We'll go clockwise around d the circle, but instead of introducing yourselves, I want you to introduce your partner. This is not a challenge to get points, but a way for us get an indication of how well you know your partner, "Shelby explained. "You need to tell us your partner's name, their favourite colour, food, and movie. Everyone got that?" she waited until she received a few nods. "Okay then, Penny, why don't you start us off?"

Penny smiled brightly at everyone. "Hi! My partner here is Matt. His favourite colour is green?" she guessed, looking at him until he nodded. "His favourite movie is Casablanca – I know that because he is always quoting it," she giggled, "and his favourite food is steak," she finished victoriously.

Matt cleared his throat and went next, "Well guys, this is Penny. She likes the Princess Bride, the colour pink, and chocolates," he said in a bored tone.

The others all took turns, many of those who had not been together long having to guess their partner's favourite things. They eventually ended up at Brennan and Booth who were sitting at the end of the circle. Brennan went first. "My partner here is Special Agent Seeley Booth. His favourite movies are a tie between Dirty Harry and Million Dollar Baby, his favourite food is apple pie," she rolled her eyes at him there and he gave her a charm smile, forcing her sarcastic grin melt into a fond smile. "And his favourite colour is blue." She refrained from mentioning that the reason behind that were her eyes.

"As you guys already know," Booth started, "My partner here, Doctor Temperance Brennan, is not an agent, but a well known forensic anthropologist. She is also quite fond of the colour blue, her movie repertoire isn't big, and although she prefers documentaries, she has taken quite a liking to Braveheart," he smirked when she blushed, remembering how he had been forced to watch it with her three times in a row after she discovered it amongst his movie collection. She had found it fascinating. "Though she would like to say her favourite food is something healthy, the truth of the matter is that she's addicted to choc-chip cookie dough ice-cream." She looked down, hiding a small smile as some of the other agents let out good natured chuckles.

"Well done guys," Shelby smiled encouragingly. "I'll let you go settle in for the night now, since you'll be up bright and early in the morning. Don't be late to the exercise field," she reminded them as they left.

Brennan and Booth called Parker for their nightly chat once they were back in their cabin, assuring him that the camp was looking to be interesting, and that they would tell him all about their activities when they really got started tomorrow. Then they hung up and prepared for bed.

Brennan tossed and turned above Booth, unable to get comfortable. It had been nearly a year since she had slept without him, and it just didn't feel right to be by herself anymore. She turned on her back, looked petulantly up at the ceiling and huffed. "Bones? You all right?" Booth's soft, soothing voice came from below. Realising that she wasn't going to get any sleep on her top bunk she sighed and crawled out of her sleeping bag, taking her pillow as she climbed down the ladder.

"Scoot over," she whispered, unzipping the side of his extra large sleeping bag. She was very grateful that it had so much room. Booth obligingly moved over, making room for her on the small single bed. She crawled in, zipping the bag back up and sighing happily as his warm arms wrapped around her. "All better?" he asked.

"Mmmhmm," she murmured sleepily. She chuckled softly and reached to kiss her cheek fondly before they both fell into a peaceful and deep sleep.

* * *

We'll finally get into the partner challenges in the next chapter. please review, i love hearing what you think.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Booth was awakened early the next morning with soft kisses up and down his chest. He smiled as he looked down at Brennan. He had discovered during their relationship that, now they were together, she didn't like to wake up without her morning delight. On the few occasions they had been too rushed in the mornings and missed out, Booth had discovered that she was particularly cranky for the whole day. Always happy to oblige her though, Booth captured her lips in a searing kiss. The last thing he wanted was an unhappy girlfriend.

By the time six-thirty came around Booth and Brennan were wide awake and out on the field, both smiling and eager for the day to start. As Booth had predicted, their morning rumble had put his partner in a very good mood.

Soon enough everyone was on the field, in varying stages of awareness. Penny was eying Brennan with a sceptical glance, as if she didn't believe the scientist could handle the run, but she remained silent. Someone else though, was not so wise. "Okay guys, I'm going to lead, and Shelby will come last. Doctor Brennan," Chase paused, looking at her with almost patronisingly. "Since you are not an agent, you can choose to sit this out. We don't require squints to be able to run three miles," he smiled kindly, as if her were giving her a present.

Brennan glared, insulted. Before she could rip his head off, Booth cut in, knowing that she would probably get them kicked out of camp if she said what she really wanted to. "Chase, my partner is more than able to run the course. She runs nearly double the distance with me all the time," his voice was firm with a hint of steel that warned the instructor not to question him.

Chase put his hands up in resignation. "Fine then, if she wants to come, let her. Let's head out," he called everyone, leading off on a path into the trees. Brennan gritted her teeth and focused her anger into running, Booth beside her as they followed Chase.

They ran easily, eating up the ground with long loose strides. Dane and Mark did the same, obviously fit and strong, as did Penny, with Rick and Chris close behind. Charlene and Trevor, though older, were both fit and followed easily. Sam, Mischa and Matt, though young and fairly slim, were not terribly fit. Ben was only a little behind, but Joe was struggling as he tried to keep up, puffing after the first mile. Every now and then Chase would shoot incredulous glances at Brennan, who was running easily beside Booth. He had known she had a toned body, but being a scientist, he had expected her to be in the lab all day and be terrible when it came to the physical challengers. When he had first heard that she was coming, he had been shocked that the FBI would even allow it, and felt sorry for her partner, but now he had seen her in action, he resolved to stop prejudging her. It was obvious that this particular scientist could hold her own anywhere.

When they broke through the trees and back onto the field, Chase called, "Once around the field and then you're done!" Brennan and Booth simultaneously lengthened their strides, powering away as they raced. Since they didn't need to conserve their energy for another few miles of running, they poured it into a race. The partners loved to race and ended up doing so at the end of nearly every run.

The other agents watched the pair go before Penny, Rick and Chris joined in, racing after them. With their head start, nobody caught them and the pair ran on determinedly. Neither liked losing, so they poured in everything they had, focusing on the finish line that had been painted on the field. Chase and Shelby watched in awe at the speed the pair was going at as they sprinted, both still neck and neck. As they drew closer to the end Brennan just managed to get a shoulder past Booth, hitting the line first. Booth growled in frustration. The others were not far behind, but Booth and Brennan ignored them, settling into a slow jog around the field to cool down. "Next time Bones," Booth promised breathlessly.

She smirked up at him. "I don't think so. Maybe if you ate more vegetables and less red meat you might be able to keep up," her eyes were sparkling with victory and Booth had to remind himself not to get drawn in by them.

"This has nothing to do with my diet," was his indignant reply. Those close enough to hear, shook their heads in wonderment. Everyone had been a little worried when they first herd the pair argue, but when approached, the partners stated that they never argued, only bickered, as if it were an everyday occurrence, and they were quickly finding out that it was.

"Okay. Everyone cool off, get changed and we'll meet for breakfast in forty-five minutes," Shelby called. Booth and Brennan barely acknowledged her as they slowed to a walk and continued to bicker, eventually heading back to their cabin for a quick shower before getting ready for the rest of the day.

As they entered the hall Booth breathed in deeply, "Mmm, that smells delicious." The scent of bacon and eggs wafted through the air. The instructors watched on with interest as yet again the pair worked together to get food for both. Booth piled one plate high with bacon, sausages, eggs and fried tomatoes, another held a few slices of toast, and he filled a bowl with muesli and yoghurt. Brennan got them both coffee and cutlery. Once at the table, Booth buttered all the toast, while Brennan stirred milk and sugar into the coffees.

"Well you seriously underestimated her fitness this morning," Shelby murmured to Chase as they watched Booth and Brennan, "and seeing how in tune they are to each other, I think that they're definitely the team to watch in the challenges." Silently, Chase nodded his agreement.

Booth and Brennan were blessedly oblivious as they tucked into their meal, conversing politely with their companions. They watched in amusement as Sam plonked himself down in between Rick and Chris, smiling and licking his lips at both of them.

However, Brennan's amusement quickly vanished when Penny sidled up next to Booth. "So, your run was pretty impressive this morning, how often do you work out?" she batted her eyes at him.

Booth's jaw tensed as he subtly leaned away from her. "Bones and I exercise together at least three times a week," watching as her face fell a little when he stressed his partner's name. Luckily, Penny didn't have much time to chat up Booth, because breakfast was over quickly and they were ushered outside. The sun had risen further, cloaking the area in a nice golden warmth.

While their breakfast settled, the instructors showed them the obstacle course, explaining the route everyone would need to take, and each other the different obstacles. "Okay, now the first obstacle is the seesaw," Shelby said, pointing to the seven foot long, and less than a foot wide plank that was raised a little over two feet off the ground. "Go over that, make your way through the tyres," there were pairs of tyres in a line of eight to run through just behind the seesaw. "Then climb up the rope net, over the beam and down the other side." The beam at the top was seven feet from the ground. "Then there's the monkey bars – try not to fall off, because, as you can see, the ditch underneath is full of water." Then they had to crawl under ropes for about ten feet, swing on a rope across another ditch and wall across a six-foot long balance beam over a mud pool. "The ditches and mud are incentive for you to be careful and not fall off. If you fall off, you have to go back and complete that obstacle again," Shelby told them. "Each of you will go singly, with your partner cheering you on, and the combined times of the pair are added to see who wins." Everyone grinned at that. All of the agents liked the idea of a challenge.

Rick and Chris were the first couple to go, and they both set very quick times that proved hard to beat. Penny and Mischa really got into the cheering when their partners had their turns, bouncing around and acting like a couple of teenagers as they cheered on them on. They guys didn't bother cheering, just told each other 'good luck.'

Booth and Brennan had a more unorthodox approach. Brenna was the first of the two to go, and Booth immediately started goading her. "Come on Bones, I know you can move quicker than that," he called as she negotiated the seesaw and tyres. When she started on the net he called again. "Go faster, if there were remains on the other side they'd already be compromised!" he yelled. Quick as a cat, her speed doubled as she scrambled up, whipped over the beam, and down the other side. Everyone watched in interest, amazed that Booth's tactic seemed to be working. "What's taking so long? Are you analysing the dirt or something? That's Hodgins' job," he called when she was crawling under the ropes, smiling as he saw her move faster. She used her irritation at Booth's words to push harder, working her muscles as fast and hard as possible. He continued goading her further as she went, only stopping when she reached the beam. "Whoa, steady Bones!" he called, his voice automatically settling her. She trotted across the beam as lithe as a cat, running past the finish line. Her time was third, with Dane and Chris the only two ahead of her. Her time was actually faster than all of the female agents and most of the males.

Booth also ran a very fast time, with Bones also using their unorthodox cheering method. "You think you're so cocky, but your time is going to be so slow! I was nearly finished by now!" she yelled as he crossed the monkey bars. Unfortunately for Booth, his time was slower than Brennan's because Sam had lost his balance and fallen into the mud on his run, just before Booth's, so Booth had to be careful on the balance beam, since it was now smeared with slippery mud. His time was still only seconds off Brennan's though, and both were pleased with the end result.

Overall, they came a very close third, with Dane and Matt taking first, and Rick and Chris taking second. Sam and Mischa came last, thanks to the time Sam lost by falling off the balance beam. Charlene and Trevor were second last, thanks to Charlene losing her balance on the seesaw. First place was awarded ten points, second; eight points, third; seven, and so on.

Brennan and Booth walked away quite pleased with the way it had gone. "That was fun," Brennan's eyes were sparkling with excitement.

Booth chuckled, "Yes it was, although everyone seemed a bit shocked at our cheering method."

She shrugged, "It may not work for anyone else, but it works for us." They shared a smile and headed off.

After lunch they once again found themselves in the lecture room, but were shocked when the guest lecturer came in. It was their baby duck. "Does he know we're here?" Brennan murmured as they watched Lance Sweets talk to Chase and Shelby.

"I don't think so - he told me he wouldn't be able to make our appointment this week since he would be out of town, and I said it would be fine since we wouldn't be there either," Booth explained as they kept their eyes on their baby duck. Their question was soon answered when Sweets broke away from the instructors and looked around the room. His eyes stopped when he spotted Booth and Brennan and he started as Booth waved. "Dr Brennan, Agent Booth, I didn't expect to see you here," Sweets greeted them as came closer.

"Well we didn't expect to see you either," Booth rebutted.

"You two know Dr Sweets?" Shelby asked, as she joined them. Many of the others in the room watched with interest.

"Yep, Sweets here is our shrink. He consults on some of our cases, and in return we let him study the dynamics of our partnership," Booth answered easily.

Sweets shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, well actually, the lecture I have planned for today uses your partnership as a case study," he told them sheepishly.

Both frowned at him. "Were you planning on telling us about this? Because I, for one, would have liked to know that you were preparing a speech about us," Brennan said and Booth nodded.

The psychologist looked guilty, "Well...no, you guys are so busy, I didn't want you to worry about a little speech," he looked like a child trying to convince his parents to let him off easily.

Brennan arched an eyebrow and Sweets winced. "Though we can see that you need to present your lecture today, please bear in mind that the next time you intend to present anything pertaining to Booth and I, we would like to know in advance."

Sweets nodded, chastised and bowing his head, "Yes Dr Brennan."

Booth chuckled, "Go on then, Bones and I are very interested in seeing what you've planned to say about us." Sweets gulped, but nodded and headed for the front of the room.

All in all, Sweets' speech was quite complimentary to the pair. He used them as an example as he presented his lecture on finding methods that worked for both people in the partnership, compromising and helping to built partnership dynamics. Everyone was interested in hearing more about Booth and Brennan.

"Now Agent Booth and Dr Brennan are here, which is a surprise, but at least you all know who I am talking about, and have no doubt had the opportunity to notice that there partnership is quite unusual. They are complete opposites. Booth is intuitive, while Brennan is logical. They often bicker," there were a few chuckles around the room at that, while Booth smirked. "Despite being very different, they complement each other extremely well. Both of them know exactly how to motivate each other, and they compensate well for each other's weakest points. I know their methods do not work for others, but the key point here is that each of you needs to find the best ways to work effectively with your partners. This may be unconventional, like Booth and Brennan, or it could be an obvious rule of thumb. It doesn't matter as long as it works for you and your partner." There were many nods at this, and everyone listened with interest as Sweets elaborated, often using observations he had made about Booth and Brennan as examples. The partners in question, were quite surprised by how much their baby duck had noticed, especially considering that he still hadn't figured out that they were together. They had been tricking him since their first session, and he still hadn't caught on.

When it was over Booth and Brennan approached Sweets, "Well done. Your speech was very detailed and well presented," Brennan praised him, and Booth smirked when a delighted grin crossed the psychologist's face at the praise.

"Yeah, not bad kid," Booth agreed.

Sweets joined them for lunch and they told him how the retreat had gone so far. "Well I'm rooting for you guys," he told them as he got ready to leave. "I think you'll win easily." They smiled, glad that their baby duck had so much faith in them.

"We certainly intend to," Brennan informed him bluntly, eliciting smiles from both of them.

"I'm sure you do. Good luck," Sweets said as he headed out.

The rest of the day passed fairly uneventfully. Booth deftly avoided Penny and Brennan ignored Rick and Chris. That evening Parker was very enthusiastic as they described the obstacle course to him. "When you come back can we go to the park?" he asked them, the mention of a seesaw and monkey bars reminding him that they hadn't been in a few weeks.

"Of course Bub," Booth assured him. "We'll even practise your soccer skills while we're there. What do you think about you and your Mum against me?"

"We'll beat you dad!" Parker exclaimed, "Won't we Mum?"

"We sure will," Brennan assured the enthusiastic little boy. Parker had been secretly training her up in the afternoons after school for just such an event. As far as Booth knew, Brennan had no idea how to play soccer.

"I doubt it buddy, but you two are welcome to try," Booth was cocky, and Brennan couldn't wait to take him down a peg.

Their talk with Parker left them in a happy mood as they snuggled together and talked quietly until they fell asleep.

* * *

I'm glad you guys have enjoyed it so far. The challenges will get harder and more interesting as the week goes...


	5. Chapter 5

Because Booth and Brennan in handcuffs is irresistible!

**Chapter 5**

The next morning, after breakfast, Booth and Brennan found themselves out on the field with the other agents, eager to find out what their next challenge would be. The instructors soon appeared, each carrying a box. They set the boxes on the ground and the partners blinked in surprise when she opened it to reveal seven sets of handcuffs. "Yes, we are going to handcuff you to your partner for the day," Shelby announced in a cheery voice. It was always fun for her and Chase to watch the partners struggle with this challenge. "There are two challenges today –one is a pair of activities you and your partner have to complete, the other is how well the two of you cope being handcuffed to one another for the day. The only time the handcuffs will come off are for bathroom breaks." With a smile, she and Chase each picked up a set of handcuffs.

"I suggest you figure out which hand you want handcuffed for the day," Chase warned.

Booth and Brennan looked at each other, communicating their feelings. Brennan was excited. She was sure that they could cooperate well enough together to win the challenges. Booth was a little more reserved. The idea of Brennan in handcuffs was appealing in the bedroom, but he figured that the challenges might be hard with only one hand each. "Since you are right handed and I am ambidextrous, we should have your left wrist cuffed to my right," Brennan decided. Booth nodded in agreement. He'd hate to be forced to use his other hand for the day.

They soon found themselves cuffed together, and Booth was surprised when Brennan reached down to grasp his hand. "This way we aren't yanking on one another's wrists all day and injuring ourselves," she explained quietly. He nodded. Suddenly the idea of handcuffs was far more appealing now that he got to hold hands with Bones all day.

Once everyone was cuffed, many with sour looks on their faces, Shelby and Chase stepped back with grins of satisfaction, already noticing that Brennan and Booth were by far the most relaxed couple, though Charlene and Trevor also looked pretty nonplussed. "All right then. The first challenge today is a three-legged and armed egg and spoon race," many groaned at Chase's announcement. Booth winced when he saw the confused look on his partner's face. She had no idea what they were going to do. "Yes, we will be binding your legs as well once you guys get over top the edge of the field. The eggs are hardboiled, so don't worry. You will have to get to the midway line of the field with both eggs on your spoons. If you drop any you don't need to go back, but it will cost you valuable time since you and your partner will have to pick it up while handcuffed and with one set of legs tied together." There were many winces at this, but Brennan only looked more confused. "Great, so please head over to the edge of the field. Shelby and I will come and tie your legs together and give you your eggs and spoons.

As they headed for the start line Booth started explaining to Brennan what they would have to do, while some of the snarkier agents rolled their eyes when they realised that the scientist hadn't known of the game before. "It's a race Bones. My left leg and your right leg will be tied together so that between us we have 'three legs', and we have to walk to the middle of the field like that balancing eggs on spoons."

Understanding dawned in her eyes, "Oh yes, I remember Parker competing in a three legged race with a friend earlier this year, but I do not recall eggs and spoons being involved."

"That's because normally they are separate races. The instructors have merged them to make it harder," he grimaced a little.

Brennan just nodded, looking thoughtful. "Well the best way to do this would be to hold the spoon as close to the egg as possible and keep our upper bodies stiff, using long even strides with our legs to move," she decided.

Booth nodded, "Okay Bones." They stood still as their legs were tied ad they were handed their eggs, waiting until everyone else was ready. When the instructors yelled and excited "Go!" they started off, their long and evenly matched strides propelling them quickly into the lead as others struggled for their balance against their partner. Both focused intensely on their eggs, conscious of every minute wobble that might make it fall.

About halfway there Booth stumbled a little in a dip on the field, his egg dropping off the spoon, but his lightning reflexes managed to catch the egg in the same hand as his spoon before it had travelled more than a foot. Brennan's egg wobbled at this instability, but with some quick movements, she managed to keep hers on the spoon. "Are you alright?" she asked as he moved their handcuffed hands to place the egg carefully atop the spoon – a none too easy manoeuvre when dragging your partner's wrist along.

"Yeah, just tripped a little," he assured her as they carried on. They picked up their fast rhythm again, striding past Dane and Matt, who had overtaken them when Booth stumbled, and crossing the line first.

"Well done guys," Shelby congratulated them as their legs were untied and their eggs and spoons given back. They just grinned victoriously at each other. Mischa and Sam had done surprisingly well, coming in third, and Ben and Joe came in fourth, just ahead of Charlene and Trevor. Penny and Matt had fallen over only a few paces from the start line, and came last, not even bothering to finish since they hadn't been able to pick themselves sup while handcuffed and tied together.

"Yes, you all did quite well," Chase said. "Now, before you go getting relaxed, that is not the end of our activities for this morning, so if you lot will follow me," he headed off, with seven sets of handcuffed partners following behind.

There were many groans and looks of incredulity when he stopped at the obstacle course. Chase ignored them. "Alright, since you've been on the obstacle course before without your partner, now you'll have to do the first half of it handcuffed together. You will not be doing the rope swing or the balance beam- that is simply too difficult to achieve in handcuffs. Should either of you fall off the seesaw or the monkey bars, then you have to go back and do them again. Best time wins." There were a few groans as people realised how difficult the course would be. Brennan sized it up quickly, and Booth simply watched her eyes as he saw her mind working. He trusted that she would come up with the most efficient plan of attack for them.

"Booth," she whispered, making sure the others couldn't overhear her. "You know how you often end up carrying me to our bedroom, while I provide you with a significant amount of distraction?" she asked, a slight husky tone in her voice. He gulped and nodded, trying not the let any of his lust show in front of so many other agents. "Well, the best way for use to do much of this course would be for you to carry me, since we then won't have to worry about pulling each other the wrong way and getting tangled up by our handcuffs." He raised an eyebrow, eying her up and then the course. He could see her logic, and he knew her brilliant mind would have analysed the course and all viable options. If she said that this was the best way, then this was what they were doing.

"Okay Bones, tell me exactly what you want me to do." She proceeded to detail exactly how they would run the course as Booth listened attentively. When the instructors had finished getting ready they called everyone over.

"All right. Since Agent Booth and Dr Brennan just won the egg and spoon race, they'll be going first," Shelby announced.

Booth grinned, ready to get going. "Let's rock and roll Bones," he said.

She rolled her eyes at him as they lined up together on the starting mark. "Three, Two, One, Go!" Shelby called, starting a stopwatch.

Everyone was shocked to see Brennan immediately jump up, knees clasping around Booth's waist as he held her like a toddler on his hip. Her handcuffed hand was in an awkward position, held slightly behind her back so that Booth could steady her, but it wasn't uncomfortable, and she stayed there with ease. Her other arm held onto Booth's shoulder. In a few seconds, Brennan was situated and Booth started off at a jog. The seesaw was long and thin, hard to navigate well with two people, and the instructors had counted on almost everyone falling off when handcuffed to a partner, but Booth easily carried Brennan onto the plank and walked quickly and steadily to the middle. When he neared the middle Brennan, who could see better from her vantage point, warned Booth when to slow down, and they safely navigated the tilt of the seesaw before Booth continued on down to the ground.

He then proceeded onto the tyres, stepping through them with ease. The instructor's mouths gaped open. The tyres often tripped up handcuffed partners, but since Booth was the only one stepping through, he had no difficulties. He then carried her over to the rope net, where they would have to climb seven feet, go over a beam, and down the other side. It was angled out slightly, which made the climb linger, but not so steep.

Instead of putting her down so that they could climb together, as everyone had expected, Booth swung her around onto his back, her handcuffed wrist at an awkward position over the wrong shoulder and down his arm so that he could climb, but she held on tightly with her legs and other arm, and she wasn't afraid of falling. She was well aware of Booth's strength and trusted that he could carry her. Booth made fast work of the rope net, climbing quickly up to the top, and swinging over the beam with Brennan securely on his back. "You know Bones," he said on the way down, "I know I tell you a lot that you need to eat more, but you really do need to – you're as light as a feather. You're a tall woman Bones, you should weight a lot more than 130 pounds."

"You know I forget to eat when I'm working," she protested as they hit the ground and she jumped off his back. They held hands to prevent the handcuffs chafing, and ran over to the monkey bars. Some of the teams chuckled incredulously as the pair continued to bicker while they went through the course. Both grabbed the monkey bars and proceeding to cross the ditch it spanned, perfectly in tune with one-another's motions. It was much like their three legged race, only with arms. They swung their outer arms out first, gripping the second rail, and swinging together before their middle arms reached out to grab the third rail. "Yeah, well now I'm going to work doubly hard at making you eat more. I'm sure Parker has a larger appetite that you do." They sped through the monkey bars, and onto the last challenge - a crawl under ropes that were about a foot from the ground.

Like the monkey bars, this task also required them to work together, and they soon set in motion. The instructors just shook their heads in disbelief. "I've never seen a pair of partners that work together so well together," Chase said to Shelby, "and I've never even thought of someone doing the course like that," he looked at Booth and Brennan, who were still debating over her eating habits as the held handcuffed hands and ran past the finish line.

Shelby stopped the stopwatch and looked at it in disbelief. "Wow guys, that's a full thirty seconds faster than our previous record for handcuffed partners!" Brennan and Booth grinned smugly.

"Well that's why I'm partnered with a genius scientist - she always knows the most efficient way to do things," Booth said proudly. Some of the teams congratulated them, while others eyed them jealously.

Booth and Brennan stood back and watched as the other teams made their way through the obstacle course, wincing as most tripped over the tyres or fell off the seesaw, taking their partner with them.

Many people ended up with a few bruises, and the rope net climb confused almost everyone, since swinging over the beam with a handcuffed partner meant you had to swing onto the opposite side or end up twisted around.

In the end, Booth and Brennan were a full minute faster than the second place pair- Dane and Mark. Charlene and Trevor hadn't been brave enough to copy Booth and Brennan but had still come in third since they worked so well together. Sam wasn't strong enough to carry Mischa. However, Penny and Matt tried to copy them, but found it awkward. They confused themselves at the very beginning, tangling themselves in the handcuffs and wrenching each other's arms as they tried to get Penny situated on Matt's hip. They lost a lot of time there, and even more when Matt, who wasn't used to being unbalanced by carrying over 150 pounds on one side, fell off the seesaw, both landing hard. Brennan quietly whispered to Booth, "I will admit to feeling a slight sense of pleasure at seeing them fall," she admitted guiltily.

Booth chuckled, well aware that Penny's advances towards him had annoyed Brennan as much as Matt's advances towards her had annoyed him. "Me too Bones."

In the end, Penny and Matt deserted their plan to copy Booth and Brennan, and ended up coming last. Booth and Brennan were awarded ten points for winning both morning sessions; Dane and Mark were second and awarded nine points. All in all, Booth and Brennan were currently second overall with a total of eighteen points, while Dane and Mark were on nineteen and in first place. They weren't worried though, they knew there were many more activities left to do.

Booth and Brennan were pretty pleased with the way their day had gone so far. After eating lunch together, still bickering over Brennan's lacking diet, and appearing to be almost oblivious to the fact that they were still handcuffed, all the partners were set free for a bathroom break. They were then re-handcuffed and taken into the lecture.

They sat through the lecture holding hands under the desk as they listened to a lecture on effective communication between partners. They knew they communicated really well, even if the lecturer did try to tell everyone that fighting, bickering and yelling were not effective forms of communication. The important thing for them was that they loved even harder than they fought.

After dinner that evening, their handcuffs were finally taken off and everyone gathered around the instructors for the end of day talk. Penny complained loudly about her wrist, which was now bruised from all the tugging she and Matt had done to each other. A few of the others also had minor bruises. Booth resisted a smug grin, pleased that his genius partner had found a nice way of preventing them from getting the same bruises.

"I'm sorry Penny, but it is your own fault. Today showed very quickly which partners worked best together. As you can see, Booth and Brennan don't have any bruises," Chase chastised her gently. She sniffed and glared at the partners. "Now that brings us to the other topic, awarding points for how well you and your partner did overall handcuffed together for the day. Booth and Brennan came first, Charlene and Trevor second, Mischa and Sam third, Dane and Mark fourth (they had done well in the early challenges, but fought during lunch and dinner), Ben and Joe fifth, Rick and Chris sixth, and Penny and Matt seventh. So our running tally is: Booth and Brennan on twenty-eight points. Dane and Mark on twenty-six. Charlene and Trevor on twenty-two. Mischa and Sam on twenty. Rick and Chris on nineteen. Ben and Joe on eighteen, and Penny and Matt on fourteen. Now obviously it is still early in the week, and there are still five more points-earning activities to go," he reminded them.

Booth and Brennan were very pleased to be at the top of the leader board by the end of the third day, and delighted in telling Parker all about it that night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Shortly after breakfast, they were called back into the hall, where padded mats had been placed on the floor and a large ring constructed. Booth couldn't help glancing at his excited partner as she smiled with interest and focused on Chase. "Yes, today we will be sparring. As you are all aware, agents in the field need to have some martial art abilities, so we will be testing that out as part of the challenge. They will be two on two fights, so you and your partner may choose to compensate if one is better than the other. It doesn't matter if one you each take on one partner, or if one of you takes on both, or anything in between," he assured them. Booth notice with irritation that Penny and Mischa were eying up Bones, giggling and laughing to themselves, but inwardly he smiled. They were in for one hell of a shock if they thought it would be easy to take down his partner.

He refocused on his delighted partner, noticing the glint in her eyes. "No breaking any bones," he warned her, ignoring the laughter from behind them at his statement, "we're only sparring."

She pouted a little, but nodded, "Fine."

Many of the others through the pair were joking. "Don't worry Dr Brennan, we'll go easy on you," a cocky Chris assured her. She narrowed her eyes at him and Booth felt a sinking sensation.

"Right, so it will be knockout rounds. The winners of each round go on to the next, and so forth. I know there are uneven numbers, but it's the best we can do. We'll be picking names out of a hat, so if your names are last, you'll be automatically through to the second round." He reached in, and when the first two announced were Booth and Brenna, and Rick and Chris, Brennan smirked. Booth sighed.

"Chris is mine," she told him as they moved into the ring. He nodded, resigned to the fact that Chris was about to be in a world of pain.

"Start!" Shelby called Booth watched in wonder as Brennan immediately went for Chris, ducking under his guard to slam her fist up into his nose before grabbing his hand and twisting as she threw him over her shoulder. He landed with a heavy thud and didn't get up, just lying there in shock and pain. Booth and Rick hadn't started fighting yet, they were too awestruck to move. "Stop!" the instructors yelled, moving into to ring to assess Chris. Chris slowly got to his feet, winded from his fall and in pain.

"Bones! Booth scolded her when he got a good look at the damage she had wrought in mere seconds. "I told you not to break anything." The man's nose was obviously broken.

"No, you told me not to break any bones - I broke his nose, which is cartilage," she informed him.

He stifled a laugh and sighed, "Well from now on, no broken, sprained, strained or dislocated anything. In fact, go easy on the bruises okay?"

"All right." She turned to Chris. "Stand still for a second." She grabbed his arm, and with a deft flick of her wrist she popped his dislocated shoulder back in and then reset his nose. Booth winced at the sounds it made.

"Okay, well it is obvious that Doctor Brennan is not to be underestimated," Shelby had found the encounter rather amusing, so she didn't chastise Brennan too much. "Now, Booth, Brennan, Rick, you can continue fighting." Rick gulped, looking a bit apprehensive now that he had seen what Brennan could do, but she stood still in the corner, allowing Booth to fight him alone. They circled each other, taking jabs every now and then, Booth eventually gaining the upper hand and putting him in a submission hold.

Those in the second round were Booth and Brennan, Dane and Mark, who had beaten Charlene and Trevor, Ben and Joe, who, though older, still knew quite a few tricks and had won against Penny and Matt, and Mischa and Sam, who had been drawn last and were automatically through. Ben and Joe then beat Mischa and Sam, although they were tired and puffing by the end.

It was then Booth and Brennan up against a wary Dane and Mark. Both had watched the first rounds with interest, sizing up their opponents. Brennan, especially, had done so with a concentration that scared the others and relaxed Booth.

When they got into the ring and Brennan realised that Booth was up against Dane she yelled out "Vegas," as she sunk into a fight stance opposite Mark. Booth immediately went for Dane, hitting him hard on his right side just above his kidneys, just as he had done to the underground fighter when he and Brennan had been in Vegas. Dane went down fast, and Brennan took Mark down with a classic jujitsu manoeuvre before quickly putting him in a headlock. Neither of the guys could believe how quickly they had been defeated.

Ben and Joe, who knew quite a lot of tricks despite their age and Joe's unfitness, also proved to be no match for Booth and Brennan, who quickly became the victors.

Over lunch that day Dane asked about Brennan's Vegas comment and Booth's reaction, listening with interest as the partners related their undercover case. Many of the others listened in as well, fascinated by the pair. Booth and Brennan smiled as they related the events. They had loved being in Vegas, and being able to go out and about as a couple. Many times after they had gotten home they had wondered whether they should just give up on their bet and tell people so that they wouldn't have to hide their relationship anymore, but they were both too stubborn, and determined to win the bet. "Wow," Dane finally said when they were done, "I didn't even know I had calcium deposits there."

The rest of the day was fairly boring. They sat through a lecture on putting aside fights and differences of opinion when on the job, which was a prelude to a more in depth lecture that would be delivered the next day by an army general. Booth and Brennan were still in the lead, having earned another ten points for the fighting challenges.

When they prepared for bed that night, Booth noticed the sultry glint in his girlfriend's eyes. "What's up Bones?"

"Retelling our Vegas story made me remember how very appealing you looked in the ring, and after seeing you fight today I am extremely aroused," she advanced on him, running her hands up his chest as she pressed their bodies together. Booth, being an intuitive guy, was more than happy to accept her invitation. It was quite a while after they got back to their cabin before they actually had their shower (shared) and finally fell asleep.

It was the early hours of the morning when Booth's sniper senses woke him. Feeling him tense, Brennan also woke, blinking her eyes blearily in the darkness, only a tiny sliver of moonlight around the edges of the curtained window allowing them to see. "What is it?" she whispered softly.

He cocked his head, realising he heard the rustle of someone's clothes outside. "Someone is sneaking around our cabin," he answered softly, whispering it in her ear.

She tensed as well at the news. "Do you think this might be another test?" she asked.

"It must be," he quietly replied. "The others wouldn't sneak around in the middle of the night, and this is a secure facility."

"Well, then I'd better get out of our bed," she whispered back. She was out, and rummaging quietly through her bag when they heard the slight creak of the stairs that led up to their cabin door. Both tensed and Booth slipped out of bed too. Not knowing what was going to happen, but wanting to be prepared, Brennan quietly slipped a pair of her small throwing knives into Booth's hands. They were beautiful knives, wickedly sharp, but small enough for Brennan to carry and throw them with ease. Booth had given them to her, teaching her how to throw them with accuracy while he was at it – another layer of protection for her. She often wore them, either concealed in her jacket, or boots, when they went out in the field.

Booth's eyes widened as he felt them, but he took them gladly, feeling naked without his gun. He advanced to the one side of the door, While Brennan waited in the corner near the other side of the door. In the moonlight he could just make out the glint of shiny silver metal. He groaned silently. She'd brought her cannon of a gun along- her huge .50 calibre 500 magnum revolver. He closed his eyes momentarily and prayed, but opened his eyes again as tentative footsteps came closer.

All of a sudden the door burst open and the lights were flicked on, guns pointed into the room at the beds. Booth and Brennan moved fast. She immediately had her gun pointed at Shelby, and Booth had her knives inches from Chase's neck. The instructors stared blankly at Booth and Brennan for a second, shocked that they hadn't been fast asleep in bed like the other partners.

When they realised the danger of their own situation, and the fact that they did not have the upper hand, they lowered their unloaded guns, while Booth and Brennan did the same with their weapons. "You know, you two are the first to have ever got the jump on us," Chase said, a little bit of awe in his tone.

Shelby was frowning at Brennan's gun. "Dr Brennan, why did you not relinquish your gun when you entered the grounds? The sign clearly stated that all weapons must be relinquished." Chase frowned too as he realised both partners had disobeyed the rules.

Brennan shook her head. "The sign says that FBI personal must give up their weapons, but I am not part of the FBI, and I was not asked for my weapons. Therefore I felt it reasonable to keep my gun and knives," she explained.

Booth dropped his head in despair, hoping they would buy her excuse that she had taken the sign literally. She was well known for being literal, but in this case, Booth knew she had never intended to give up her weapons. It was why he hadn't even known she'd brought them with her.

Chase looked sheepish then. "I didn't even ask if you had any," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

Shelby still looked annoyed. "Well in light of the fact that you are not FBI, we'll let this go, but please take all of your weapons over to the office tomorrow morning. We will return them with everyone else's at the end of the week." She turned to leave, with Chase behind her, before pausing. 'Oh, and well done guys, your reaction to surprise threats was very good, even if it wasn't really a surprise for you two." With that, the instructors left. Brennan put away her gun and knives and they snuggled back into bed, eager to catch a few more hours sleep before it was time to wake up properly.

"Bones," Booth murmured once they were snuggled back up in his still-warm sleeping bag, a note of chastisement in his voice. "You knew you were supposed to hand over your weapons."

She shrugged, "It's not my fault that they didn't ask- they asked everyone else," she pointed out unapologetically.

"I don't think it occurred to them that a consultant scientist would be carrying throwing knives and a gun," he answered dryly, somewhat amused, but a little petulant that he had been without his gun for four days, and she'd had hers.

Before breakfast the next morning, Brennan and Booth headed over to the reception office and handed over her weapons. Just after Breakfast, Chase called them all together. "I know you are all wondering about our surprise night challenge. Yes there are points awarded. The idea behind this challenge is to test you reactions to threats. A good reaction is to be protective of your partner, and for the two of you to work together against the threat. Many of you reacted alone, without thinking about the potential consequences such an action might have to your partner. Those of you who have been partnered for longer times seemed to do better. As far as scores go, Booth and Brennan yet again came out on top. In fact, they actually gave us the surprise last night," Chase related the story, much to the amusement of some of the agents. Penny and Matt glared, but Dave, Mark, Carlene and Trevor found the story funny. "Charlene and Trevor, who have been partnered the longest, came in second, Dane and Mark third, Penny and Matt Fourth, Rick and Chris fifth, Ben and Joe Sixth, and Mischa and Sam last. Mischa and Sam, as Federal Agents, we expect you to be a little braver, screaming and hugging each other is not an appropriate response to having weapons drawn on your person," almost everyone bit back a smile at that information.

Once that was over, it was time for their next challenge to start.

* * *

So what did you think?


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Today we'll be playing partner charades," Shelby announced with a grin. Brennan blanched. She'd seen this game played before, and knew you had to actually know the names of popular movies, books etc to win. While she knew a lot more than she had a year ago thanks to Booth, she still wasn't comfortable playing. Booth rubbed her back gently, "We'll be fine."

"So," Shelby continued, "There are four boxes up here. One is movies, another is classic books, and the other two are recent, popular books, and music." Each partnership will get four- one from each box. One of you will mime two of them, for your partner to guess, and then your partner will mime the other two for you. You have thirty seconds to guess, and the faster you are, the more likely you are to win." With a grin she called up the first pair, Rick and Chris.

Chris looked terrible that morning, his face and nose horribly bruised from Brennan's beating the day before. They did terribly, only able to guess one of the four between them. Mischa and Sam, on the other hand, obviously knew a lot of pop culture, and were very enthusiastic about throwing themselves into the game. They guessed all four quickly.

When it was Booth and Brennan's turn Booth went first, choosing the books, since he knew Brennan didn't know much about movies and the latest music. He laughed when he pulled out the name of the first book – the popular, recent bestseller. Brennan was shocked when he pointed at her. "Me?" she asked, "My book." He nodded and held up one finger. "My first book, Bred in the Bone?" she guessed.

"Yep," he said, relaxing at how easy that one had been.

"Really?" Shelby asked, looking at the piece of paper in astonishment. "I didn't know you were a bestselling author Dr Brennan." Some of the others looked at her in surprise as well. Most of them had read her book, but only a few had made the connection between the scientist and the author.

The next book was a little harder. Booth had to wrack his brains trying to figure out how to describe _Brave New World,_ but luckily it was a book Brennan had actually read, albeit many years ago, and she managed to guess just before their thirty seconds were up.

It was then Brennan's turn, and she felt awkward, standing in front of so many people. When she picked a title out of the movie box her eyes widened in surprise. "This is a movie?" Booth sighed; they were doomed.

Shelby read it, wondering how Dr Brennan could possibly no know about the _Titanic_, "You've never seen this move?" she asked incredulously.

Brennan shook her head and shrugged. She knew the history behind the Titanic, but she'd had no idea that it had been turned into a movie. As the timer started she mimed a ship, and then let her hands fall, miming a ship breaking in half.

Booth grinned, "Titanic," he guessed easily and she nodded.

"I didn't know that it was made into a movie. Is it historically accurate?"

"I don't know Bones, but it is one of the highest grossing films of all time," he informed her.

"Oh," she looked a little sheepish as she realised that most of the others were sending her disbelieving glances. She turned away from them and plucked out a song from the music box. She frowned. She'd never heard of the _Red Hot Chilli Peppers_, or their song _Under the Bridge_. She just hoped that Booth would understand it.

Booth noticed her frown and realised that it was obviously a song and band she'd never heard of. That at least eliminated some options, not that Brennan had much of a music collection, but he had supplemented her music for the past year, and she now knew quite a few different bands.

As they started, Brennan looked around, before remembering that her bra for the day was red, one of Booth's favourites. She pointed to her chest and Booth frowned, "You, shirt, colour," she nodded at that and waited. "Blue?" He guessed her shirt, but when she shook her head he realised what she meant. "Red!" he called out, smiling at her nod. Then she fanned her face. "Fan? Cool? Hot?" she nodded at the last word. "So, Red Hot..." he thought for a second as the band came to mind. _"Red Hot Chilli Peppers_?" She grinned and nodded, pleased that he had gotten it so quickly. She mimed a flat surface, and then curved one hand under the other. Booth's mind went thought all the songs he could remember by the band until he came up with one that matched her motions. "Under the Bridge," he called triumphantly, just before the timer rang.

"Yes," they were both pleased that they had managed to guess every charade right, even if it had taken them a while on some.

"You know Bones," Booth said as she sat down beside him. "I can't believe you haven't heard of that song. We've left some serious holes in your music education."

It was amusing to watch some of the other mimes, and Booth loved how much Brennan enjoyed watching the game, since she had never seen it before. They ended up coming third in the event, and they were very proud of themselves. Mischa and Sam had won, and Charlene and Trevor were second place. Rick and Chris had come last.

They relaxed for a little while before it was time for the lecture, and Booth was surprised to see Brennan's eyes light up when she spotted the guest lecturer. "Rob! How have you been!" she called as she advanced towards the man. He was obviously part of the army from his uniform, and it didn't take Booth long to realise that he was a general.

He turned and smiled when he saw her. "Tempe! It's so good to see you again." Booth subdued his feelings of jealousy as they hugged, knowing that she loved him, and that the man was at least ten years older than Brennan.

He relaxed even further when she turned to him. "Rob, this is my partner, Special Agent Seeley Booth," she introduced him with a touch of pride in his voice.

"It's nice to finally meet you Booth, Temperance has mentioned you a few times to my wife," Rob shook his hand.

"How is Sandy?" Brennan asked.

"Oh she's just fine, relieved now that I'm an army general and pushing paper, rather than out in the field," he rolled his eyes and she laughed.

"And your girls?"

"Ah, the apples of my eyes," he smiled. "They're in high school now, so I've started polishing up my guns in case any boys get the idea that they can go out with my daughters."

Booth and Brennan chuckled with him. They talked for a little longer before it was time for the lecture to start, and before they went to take their seats, Rob warned Temperance. "Some of my lecture today uses the time we were running from the death squad Tempe, I thought you should know that."

She gulped, but nodded. "That was a long time ago Rob, and I'll be fine." Booth followed her over to their seats, a frown marring his face. He had known that she had been in some dangerous situations overseas, just as he had been during his time in the army. Neither liked to talk much about those aspects of their past, although they both knew about it and accepted it. However, outrunning a death squad was frightening.

Booth felt himself tense many times as the General described how his team of soldiers, and a few scientists who had been working at a mass grave site, had managed to evade capture by a death squad sent to slaughter them, and spent a week out in the jungle running from them as they made their way back to a military base on foot. Around him he could see new respect for Bones from everyone in the room.

Booth was also impressed with her contacts. He had known that she knew many high profile people, but had never needed to know their names. General Robert Hennessey was a very important man. He was surprised that the man even had time for a small FBI lecture on the importance of accepting the differences of one's partner and utilising them to your best advantage. According to him, many of Bones' ideas had been what saved them from being captured, though at first, his soldiers had not been very willing to accept them.

Booth was proud of her, but also scared of the number of times she had almost died. From now on he vowed to go with her if she was going for her customary jaunts overseas. They were clearly far more dangerous than she ever let on.

After the lecture, once Booth had calmed down, he found himself getting to know the General, or Rob, as he insisted. What he really wanted to do was hug Bones tight and never let her go. He hated being reminded of how close he had come to losing her, before he had ever met her.

Temperance was delighted to catch up with Rob and hear the latest news about his wife and daughters. They were some of her favourite people outside her Jeffersonian family, but since both the General and his wife lived hectic lives, she rarely got to talk to them in person except at the occasional highbrow social event. Booth also related well to Rob, and was soon telling him all about Parker, finding himself with an invitation to bring Parker and come to a barbeque in a month's time with Bones. He couldn't refuse.

Later that night Booth and Bones laughed delightedly over Parker's enthusiasm when he found out that they had met a real army general, and that they were going to a barbeque where Parker would get to meet him too. The little man was ecstatic at the prospect.

* * *

So what did you think? I lost my handwritten planning pages, so I hope I included everything I originally wanted to.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The next morning, after indulging in a little early playtime, Brennan and Booth rolled out of bed ready to start their day. They once again led the pack on their morning run, bantering back and forth as the other agents watched on in amusement.

After breakfast they were all led over to a field. Brennan and Booth's eyes lit up when they spotted the paintball guns staked at the edge. They exchanged excited grins. This was their kind of challenge. Though Brennan had always been a very good shot, Booth had worked with her on her accuracy until she was as good as some of the FBI sharpshooters.

The field had evenly spaced poles at the end of it, with large tarps attached. In the middle of the tarps were large round paper targets, and directly underneath each were chairs. Booth quirked an eyebrow at her, "I think this challenge is going to be interesting," he murmured. She nodded in agreement as she eyed it all with curiosity.

"I can see that you are all looking interested," Chase commented with a grin as he and Shelley appeared, lugging protective paintball headgear. "But this challenge may not be as easy as it first looks. One of you will don the protective gear and sit in the chair underneath the target. Your partner will be given five paintballs with which to hit the target. We will use a points system to calculate the winners; one point if you hit the target and two points for each bullseye." The agents were all smiling now. "However," he continued, "If your partner flinches, it will be negative one point, and if you hit your partner it will be negative two points." Some of the others weren't smiling now. "Once your partner has fired their five paintballs, you will switch places. I have seen all of your gunmanship scores, with the exception of Dr Brennan, however, she is partnered to Booth, who currently holds the one of the best scores for an FBI gunmanship test in US history, second only to legends like Jelly Bryce, so I believe that will make up for any lack of experience on Dr Brennan's part." Brennan smiled proudly at Booth's accomplishment, but opened her mouth to correct his ludicrous assumption that she would be a bad shot. Booth subtly shook his head, silencing her. He couldn't wait to see their faces when they saw his lady scientist shoot.

Now that Chase had explained it, some people were looking apprehensive. Booth looked at Brennan and smiled at her confidence as she pursed her lips and eyed the target with determination. "It would be better if they allowed us to use real guns," she muttered.

Booth chuckled. "I think that might make people flinch a whole lot more Bones."

"I wouldn't, I know you wouldn't shoot me." Sometimes he was still amazed at the level of trust she placed in him.

"I know, but I wouldn't trust some of the others to hit their own targets, let alone not hit you." She nodded as she thought it over.

"I'll admit that Penny doesn't instil me with confidence in her accuracy," she allowed.

"Me neither."

Chase passed them a set of protective gear. "Me first?" Booth asked.

She nodded with a smile as he promptly donned the gear and headed for his seat. Shelby passed her a paintball gun.

Beside Brennan the other agents lined up, but she ignored them as she focused on Booth. He made a show of getting comfy in the chair, sprawling out lazily as he grinned at her. She grinned back, pleased with his confidence in her.

She had recently gotten her carry/conceal gun license, immediately flashing it victoriously in Booth's face as he stared at her in shock. All it had taken was a small conversation with some of the much higher powers, and they had been happy to make sure she was issued a weapon to allow her to keep herself, and possibly Booth, safe while they were out in the field. Booth had been very disgruntled by it, but had eventually been persuaded to look at it in a positive light - the persuading taking place in the bedroom, of course.

Each set of partners went separately to allow the instructors to take note of every flinch. Penny and Matt were first. Penny's first shot went wild, not even hitting the target, and Matt flinched and jerked to the side. It was clear that he didn't trust her one bit. Her next shot hit him squarely in the face of his protective mask. Luckily, her next three shots did actually hit the target, although none were bullseyes, and since Matt flinched each time, her total score was negative 3.

Ben shot all five at the target, getting one bullseye and the rest fairly close to it and Joe valiantly held perfectly still, his muscles locked firmly in place, giving Ben a total of six.

Mischa giggled as she lifted the paintball gun. "I've never shot one of these before." The other agents all felt a chilling sense of foreboding. She lined up and fired twice in quick succession, a strategy that clearly didn't work, since she'd hit Sam twice in the chest. Her hand immediately went to her chest. "Oh I'm so sorry, but oh, that is just your colour," she enthused. The other agents wondered how she's even made it into the FBI, and were grateful that she and Penny worked in a division where a gun wasn't in their hands very often. Her next three bullets just made it onto the target, and Sam managed not to flinch, obviously resigned to having paintballs flying very close to his head. Mischa's total score was negative 1.

The instructors were looking a little disheartened by her efforts, especially when she kept giggling as they moved on to the next person in line, Charlene. Charlene hit the bullseye twice and her three other bullets hit the target, all without Trevor flinching once, putting them ahead of the pack on seven points. Charlene looked very pleased with her score.

Brennan was next. Booth winked at her as he sat back in his chair, the perfect picture of ease. Brennan didn't even look at him as she sized up the target, fluidly swinging her rifle up before carefully firing her five paintballs in quick succession. Three bullets hit the bullseye, with another two clustered very closely to it. "Way to go Bones," Booth called proudly as he surveyed her handiwork. They were now in the lead on eight points.

Many of the other agents were staring with varying degrees of surprise, admiration and jealously. Brennan flushed a little under Booth's praise as he joined her, handing over the protective gear and taking the gun.

They watched some of the other agents take shots with varying degrees of success until it was their turn again. Brennan sat primly in the chair, her gaze trusting as she focused solely on Booth. Booth was completely relaxed as he sent her a cocky wink that made her smile. Like her, his shots were quickly over, all five neatly at the centre of the bullseye. Brennan couldn't have been prouder, and her beaming smile in Booth's direction, as she removed her unneeded protective gear, said it all. Booth preened a little at her look. Trevor clapped him on the back, "Well done man."

"Thanks," he said. "You did pretty well yourself," Trevor had gotten three bullseyes, his experience and mutual trust with Charlene showing through.

Many of the other agents had flinched, not trusting their partner enough to stay still as paintballs were shot at them. At the end of the round Booth and Brennan were the clear leaders, having eight bullseyes between them and two other hits to the target, putting them on eighteen points, since neither had flinched.

Charlene and Trevor came second on fifteen points, with Dane and Mark third, Ben and Joe fourth, Rick and Chris fifth, Mischa and Sam sixth, and Penny and Matt last.

That gave Booth and Brennan another ten points towards the challenge point score, which they were now leading with a total of 65 points, Dane and Mark were in second place on 56 points and Charlene and Trevor were in third place on 55 points. Ben and Joe, and Mischa and Sam were both on 46 points, Rick and Chris were on 40 points and Penny and Matt were in last place on 38 points. With only one challenge to go, Booth and Brennan were now the clear winners.

Booth caught her in his arms as they entered the cabin to spend a little free time before lunch. "You were wonderful," he murmured as he gently kissed the back of her neck. She leaned back into his arms with a happy sigh. "So were you."

They stayed like that, just indulging in each other's company for a while, and Brennan absently thought that the only thing that could possibly make it any better would be if they were wearing each other's rings. She smiled a little at the thought and cuddled closer to him.

After lunch was a rather boring lecture on body language and reading not only your suspects, but our partner. Booth and Brennan felt a little smug, knowing they could read each other like a book, but Brennan paid close attention to the information about how to read suspects. She had never been particularly good at that.

Later that night, as they snuggled down together in bed, after their call to Parker, Brennan asked thoughtfully, "Do you think Parker would like a laser tag set for his birthday? I was thinking of how much he would enjoy paintball, but I am not comfortable with him getting hit, so I though laser tag might be a better idea," she explained.

Booth grinned, "I think he'd love it Bones, he'll love showing it off to all of his friends." They talked a little more about Parker's upcoming birthday before falling into a satisfied sleep. It had been a successful day for the pair.

* * *

Hopefully the next chapter will have our proposal! and will probably be the last chapter, although I do have plans for a sequel.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The next day, every one was in a good mood at breakfast, knowing that it was the last day of lectures and activities. Brennan and Booth were in a particularly good mood, having woken up extra early for some time together, not only making love, but lying in each other's arms and discussing their week.

After breakfast, everyone smiled when they were led to a large cardboard sheet, with a donkey drawn on it. The only one who looked confused was Brennan. "It's a game called 'Pin the tail on the Donkey,' Booth explained to her in an excited voice. "One of us is given a stick-on tail, blindfolded, spun around a few times, and then has to pin the tail onto the donkey. The person with their tail closest to where it should actually go is the winner." Brennan nodded thoughtfully as she looked at the donkey. "It's usually a fun game, and winning isn't that important," Booth continued, "especially for us, since we've already won," he winked at her and she smiled.

Shelley joined the agents, holding a handful of donkey tails, and Chase came up behind her with a piece of cloth to be used as a blindfold. "I'm sure you all know how this game normally works, but since this is a partners activity, the partner who is not blindfolded will be able to give vocal directions. The catch is that you will only have fifteen seconds to pin you tail on the donkey. This is normally where agents unwind a little and have fun." Chase informed them. "The closest tail between the two partners is the one we count, and the other tail won't."

Booth looked at Brennan and wondered a little at her mischievous smile, but was happy that she seemed to be looking forward to her turn. He looked up as Shelly suggested, "So how about we have our winners start us off?"

Booth grinned at Brennan, "What do you think Bones? Want to pin the tail on the donkey?" She nodded eagerly and took a tail from Shelley as Booth took the blindfold from Chase and tied it securely over her eyes.

After checking that Brennan couldn't see anything, Booth stepped back and allowed Shelley to spin Brennan around in circles before halting her and saying 'Go."

"Okay Bones, a ninety degree turn to the right, a half step left, two steps forward and down about waist height," Booth stated calmly as she followed his instructions to the letter. "Now half an inch up, and two inches right." And with those precise instructions followed, Brennan successfully pinned her tail to the exact spot. She took off her blindfold to Booth's cheer of success, smiling triumphantly and very pleased with herself.

It was then Booth's turn. As soon as he was ready Brennan, with a mischievous note in her voice said, "Spin to the right, yes, just like that, keep going, another 720 degrees Booth," She laughed as Booth obediently spun in circles, getting dizzier by the second. The other agents laughed too as Booth complained. "Bones, 720 degrees is two full rotations, how is that going to get me anywhere?" he caught on, but was happy to let her have her fun. They'd already won anyway.

"Don't worry Booth, just keep spinning," she called. He shook his head and continued. The fifteen second mark passed by, but Shelley and Chase didn't bother to tell them that, far more interested in seeing Brennan make Booth dizzy.

"That's it, almost there," Brennan called, although Booth was still nowhere near the donkey, "you're doing well." Eventually, seeing that Booth was now faltering in his spins she cried, "Stop," and laughed as he collapsed in a heap on the ground, swaying slightly as his world tilted, then rightened.

When everything finally stopped spinning, he cautiously sat up, taking off the blindfold and shaking his head as he saw that everyone was still laughing at him. He rolled his eyes and laughed along with them as Brennan gave him a hand up onto his feet. "You know what Bones? I don't think I'll ever let you drive if your sense of direction is this bad. I'm nowhere near the donkey," he teased.

"What?" she smiled as she affected an affronted tone. "I have exceptional navigational skills, and I'm a very good driver."

"I'm not so sure Bones," they continued to banter back and forth, and everyone looked on in amusement.

Once the laughter had quietened down, the rest took their turns, most goofing off and laughing when their tail ended up on the nose, ears, mane and even hooves of the poor donkey.

In the end, Booth and Brennan won, adding another ten points to their winning score, and everyone good-naturedly congratulated them.

They sat through the last lecture, one on building trust and honesty between partners, something Booth and Brennan already had by the bucket load.

At the end of the day, everyone gathered together and Chase presented Booth and Brennan with their certificates for winning the partners challenges. "The pair of you complement each other extremely well, and have been an excellent example to everyone here of what a good partnership is like," he said as he shook their hands and offered them certificates that proclaimed their winning status. Booth beamed. "This is going on my office wall when we get home! I can't wait for the guys at work to notice." He grinned. While he wasn't normally one to boast, he couldn't help it when it was about Bones as well.

They said their goodbyes, and eagerly accepted their weapons back before heading away from the camp.

While some of the partners were already heading home, Booth and Brennan planned to spend the night locally at Dumfries and travel home the next day. After checking in at the hotel, there was still plenty of time in the afternoon for them to explore a little, and they immediately headed for the Weems-Botts museum they had been told about earlier in the week by the instructors. Both really enjoyed experiencing a little piece of history, and Booth loved watching Brennan's eyes light up at a new piece of information. "When we bring Parker down here to camp, we'll have to visit here again," she told him.

"Of course we will Bones, he loves checking out this sort of thing with you," he promised.

Later that night at the hotel, Booth was pleasantly surprised at dinnertime, when room service was brought to them and set out at an elegant dining table. The food was delicious, and they dined together via candlelight. It was one of the most romantic meals they had had together as they quietly talked over their favourite parts of the week. "I quite enjoyed being handcuffed to you for the day," Brennan admitted.

"You did huh?" Booth smiled teasingly. "I enjoyed it too! Everyone looked so shocked when I picked you up for the obstacle course," he chucked, and Brennan joined in.

They continued to talk as they ate their meals by candlelight and indulged in a delicious dessert of chocolate mousse. "Wow Bones, that was a great meal, you're not going to propose are you?" he joked as he leant back from his finished bowl with satisfaction.

He was shocked as she gave him a frustrated look. "How did you know?"

"What? You were?"

"Yes. Once I decided to marry you, I did some research and found that one of the most commonly accepted practises was to ask over a romantic dinner. I thought a private setting would be nicer, and I set everything up for a proposal," she explained to a rather stunned Booth. "Did my setting give away my intentions?"

"Oh, I was just joking when I said that," he explained.

"You think us getting married is a joke?" she asked, and Booth could hear the hurt note in her voice.

"No Bones, of course not! I'd love to marry you, but you've told me so many times that you don't believe in marriage, that I just assumed that it wasn't on the cards for us, " he explained, "although, lately I've been thinking that you might be a little more receptive to the idea."

"Hug that thought," she said, as she got up and ruffled through her bag.

He chuckled, "hold that thought Bones," he murmured.

She returned with a large jewellery case. "Seeley Booth, You are my partner, my best friend, and I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone, more than can be explained by chemicals in the brain," he smiled at that, "will you marry me?"

"Yes Bones, of course," he kissed her hard, and then pulled back with a brilliant smile. "I love you so much," he said. "I actually have a ring and was thinking about proposing soon too," he explained as he jumped up and rifled through his bag, coming back with a ring box. He opened it, "What do you think?" he asked nervously, praying that she liked his choice.

Brennan beamed as she took in the platinum band set with a large round blue diamond in the middle of a row of square clear diamonds, all of which were set into the band so that she could wear it under gloves. She was touched with how much thought Booth had put into the ring. "It's beautiful," she reached out and Booth plucked it out of the box and gently slid it on her finger. They both admired it on her hand for a few moments as it sparkled in the candlelight, before Brennan remembered her own engagement jewellery for Booth.

"I know it isn't customary in our society for the man to be given an engagement ring, but I wanted to give you something when I proposed, so…" she hesitantly opened up the jewellery case to reveal a long platinum chain with platinum dog tags. One tag had a skull above two guns with the tips of the muzzles crossed over each other on the front, and when Booth turned it over, the back was engraved with the words "Booth & Bones". The other tag had "Temperance & Seeley" engraved on it, with two kanjis on the back, the symbols for love and eternity.

"Oh Bones," Booth said quietly as he fingered the dog tags, "This is perfect," he was a little choked up at how perfect his engagement dog tags were. "I'm going to proudly wear them everywhere Bones."

She beamed at him, so happy that he liked her choice. It had taken many weeks to come up with idea of dog tags and then decide exactly what she wanted on them. It had then taken even longer to find a jeweller that could do exactly what she wanted. These were no ordinary dog tags, and she wanted something special to be handing over Booth's heart for the rest of his life.

Booth slipped the chain over his head, pleased as the tags settled on his chest. The he suddenly realised what all of this meant. He picked her up and spun her around. "We're getting married," he laughed in exultation.

"Yes we are," she laughed with him, eyes sparkling down at him and perfectly matching the centre diamond on her hand.

THE END

* * *

That's it, I hope you enjoyed my fluffy fun story. I do have a sequel planned where you will find out just how special Booth's dog tags are, and where the rest of the team will find out that they are a couple.


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